The Beauty to My Beast
by Doctojuji
Summary: A tale as old as time and yet commonly told incorrectly. The books read the beast as a once powerful king when in actuality it was a power-hungry queen, ignoring her duties for a life of luxury. Only when she's cursed with the image of a beast is she forced to face the truth and hope that a simple woman can see her as more than what she is on the outside. (Femme Slash)
1. Chapter 1: Beast

So many years…so many years as this…this _thing_. This **beast**. And now I was to be free by the arrival of this young woman. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

To begin I wasn't always like this; a ball of fur with a temper comparable to that of the burning sun. I used to be a beautiful woman, a queen, fair, and maybe a tad spoiled. But what could be wrong with this? Nothing, in my mind, as I lay on plush pillows with any partner of my choosing tangled in my expensive sheets. But all it takes for a life like that to turn sour is one woman.

A witch – unknown to me – arrived in my throne room one morning, her old and frail body cloaked in tattered rags. I took her for a beggar, a sickening specimen of the world, smelling sharply like piss and rubbish. My delicate nose crinkled in disgust as the woman asked for a bed for the night, whining about something with the chill of the winter air. I hadn't listened. Instead I looked down at her, my lips pulling into a smirk as I sat upon my golden thrown, "You come to me, in your filthy state asking to lie in my castle…just because your toes are a little chilly?" A scoff tumbled from my red lips as I stood, body thin and tall, chin raised as I pointed firmly towards the doors of the room. "I will give no charity to filth like you," I hissed through my teeth as the old hag turned up.

It was then I realized I had never seen the old woman's face and in fact she was in no way old. In a wave of freezing air the room seemed to still, my guards halted in their attack as the cloak fell from the woman's shoulders. She was a gorgeous, young, and her blond hair practically white in the candlelight as it tumbled down her back. Her vibrant amber eyes sent a chill down my spine as she stepped forward and instinctively I shrunk back. The action seemed to please her as her skin began to emanate a glow, rising to her eyes as she floated from the floor.

"_You see this world as your toy without consideration for those worse off. You deserve nothing more than what I give to you: a curse for you and your castle. May you learn the error of your ways as the world turns in disgust at what you have created."_

Her words paralyzed me as my blue eyes widened, fixed on her hovering figure in both fear and intrigue. But as I opened my mouth to speak, it was too late.

The freezing air around me turned searing as I cried out, hugging my pounding head. Slowly my cries turned into yowls as my body began to shift. My legs snapped at the bones, shifting and reforming into powerful hindquarters. My nose and mouth shifted forward into a muzzle, the delicate nose of mine expanding and becoming pink and moist. My teeth grew in my mouth, sharpening into points as the nails on my fingers and toes grew thick, black, and dangerous. "Make it stop!" I roared, but there was no one to hear my please as the rest of the castle had begun its own transformation.

My ears grew, pointing at the ends before a pair of dark horns sprouted from my skull, curling around my head and back up at the ends. Tears pour from my eyes from the pain as I doubled over, my expensive clothing ripped to shreds as the change continued.

The end came suddenly as I gave another roar of pain from my tailbone extending and splitting from my lower back. I had collapsed onto the floor by then, panting as golden fur began to grow along my skin, my new tail becoming bushy but still limp, and my long waves breaking from my head onto the floor around me as exhaustion took over my body.

I awoke to darkness and silence, searching around the throne room to only see coldness radiating from the walls. Something had changed more than my own body. I stood from my place, looking down at my body with horror as tears pulled at my eyes again. That witch had made me into the beast that I truly was, into the monster that I had become as queen. And had taken the rest of the kingdom with me.

But that was years ago. My kingdom abandoned and the inside of my castle in ruins simply from my anger. Every servant inside the castle's boundaries had become a living part of the structure: a table, a chair, a tea set. And while they seemed to continue their work as servants do, I withdrew into my quarters with the only thing left of mine that mattered.

A singular rose, glowing and sparkling under a glass case. It rested on a table by my balcony, able to be exposed to the moonlight in which it would bloom. The object was beautiful but after so many years even I had realized that it had begun to…fade. And when the first petal fell was when I realized there was something I must do. The only issue was that I had accepted my self as a beast and no longer had any social connection to the world outside my castle doors.

But as fate had placed me into this form, it was willing to help me be free of it.


	2. Chapter 2: Beast

My castle had been shrouded in darkness over the years, a constant fog drifting along the leaf-covered ground with dark clouds hanging in the air; a never-ending suspicion of rain. But due to its location off a fairly well traveled traders trail it would get the rare traffic. The majority of the time it was a simple traveler looking for a bit of shelter for the night and most times the cobwebs and eerie atmosphere would send them away. But one day a particularly curious man visited us.

It had begun to rain and as always I spent my evening in my large wing-backed chair, eyes fixated on the floating rose. Unknown to me, a lost merchant had stumbled upon my castle, drenched, cold, and frightened. The combination seemed to be enough to drive him past the unwelcoming state of the castle as he crept along the front hall.

My only awareness of his presence was the eventual smell of burning firewood reaching my nostrils. Due to my current state, as well as the castles, fires were no considered necessary and normally not kept. I sprung from my seat, the blanket falling from my shoulders as I growled at the unwelcome smell. Clothing had become too much of a nuisance as my fur covered all that was necessary and I never had a care towards how my servants saw me.

Stepping from my quarters, I snuck towards the dull sound of crackling wood, stopping by the crack in the door as the firelight lit a small line along my body. All I could see was a large reading chair, the light exposing the worn red color and frayed edges. On the sides I could see someone's elbows resting, mumbling and grunting to him as the room came to life around him. Furniture shifted, an ottoman scurried under the stranger's feet with an odd collection of barks, a table scooted closer to him with a steaming pot of tea and cup ready. The man in question seemed surprised but pleased, his tired laughter bringing a snarl to my lips.

I roared, the whole castle seeming to tremble from the sound as the man hesitantly turned around in the chair. Throwing the door open I lunched, my powerful haunches propelling me to the back of the chair as I used it to hurtle over and in front of him. Without giving him a chance to breathe and surged forward, digging my claws into the armrest of the chair as he recoiled. "P-please don't kill me!" He begged, trying to get as far into the back of the chair as was humanly possible.

But his pleads did nothing – though I had no intention of killing him. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling the man swiftly behind me and dragging him across the castle and down into the dungeons. As he yelped against the cold stone floor I slammed the heavy wooden door shut. "Trespassers…punishable by death," the words were rough and almost intelligible as the man looked at me with a terrified gaze. He was old, the hair on the top of his head gone, all the remained was around the sides and on his face in a bright white. Bags dropped under his eyes and he shivered, the cold already making him look sickly.

"P-please…I have a daughter, please let me contact her…I beg of you," he cried as I ignored him. During my time as queen I hadn't paid much attention to what happened to wrong doers. Normally I would simply wave my hand at them and my guards would take them somewhere to be dealt with. I gave no punishment, gave no care. And maybe that was the worst part of it because I didn't consider them and their crimes to be worth my time. Something had changed, though, after that time…the anger had built in my soul made me despise my apathy. I would care…even if it were in the wrong sort of way.

I left the man to his thoughts, to let him cower and beg to be freed. When the time came I would kill him to make an example. The worst of it, though, was that I wasn't sure whom I was making an example to.

The answer seemed to come in the next day. Unknown to myself, or the old man in the basement, but his frustrating daughter had seemingly taken his absence as something to be worried of. As to how she found my castle, I was not quite sure.

A day after the old man's capture, though, she arrived at my castle. Again I was surprised, the only alarm to arrival being her call for her father. By the time I had found her she was already in the dungeon, her hands wrapped tightly around the bars as she promised her father to get him free.

"No, Belle. You must'n be here. It will find you. Do not worry about me, you must run, run far away," but the girl simply shook her head, turning her attention to the lock of the door before searching around for any sort of key. And that's when he eyes fell upon me. I snarled, looking over her womanly frame. It was petite, but her chin was surprisingly raised, almost challenging my being. "Run, Belle!" Her father yelled as I charged forward, grabbing her by her shoulder, my claws ripping through her dress and slicing at her skin. She yelped and pulled back, forcing my hand to pull through her shoulder.

"I do not fear you beast! Let my father go!" She snapped as I skidded on the stone floor, turning to face her with my lip pulled back.

"Your father has trespassed and will be dealt with justly," I growled, my voice seeming to startle her. She grabbed at her bleeding shoulder, looking at the ground in thought before turning towards her father's face between the bars.

"Take me in his place."


	3. Chapter 3: Belle

The words had come out before I had time to think about them. Then again, the pain in my shoulder made thinking a little difficult. But it had been said whether I meant it or not, and considering the off-putting smirk from the monster, it seemed to like the sound of it.

"You wish to take his place? But he is old and dying. And you have so much more to live for," the creature advanced, hips swaying as a took a step backwards, my fingers on my bad arm going numb as the blood soaked into my dress.

"You heard what I said. Let him go…take me instead," I repeated with a tad more hesitation in my voice than before. And without another word, the creature agreed, moving to the far side of the dungeon and returning with a ring of keys. The lock on my father's prison made a firm click as it slid from the stone and a creak as the old wood pulled away. I embraced him as he begged me to reconsider, telling me he was an old man, but I was determined and before I could say otherwise, the beast had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him away.

I yelled after him, reaching out as if my feet were firmly stuck to the stone floor. But he was gone, being tossed who knows where and I could only hop that he was going to be all right. But then the attention was turned back to me and I felt my stomach turn. "After you, m'lady," the beast huffed as I frowned and stepped into the cold prison, the door closing firmly behind me. My shoulder had gone numb, my heart beating in the bleeding wounds as I moved up to the bars, watching the beast move towards the stairs.

"So this is it? You simply leave me?" My words stopped the creature in its steps as I bit my lip, wondering if this was a good idea. "Is this what you planed to do with my father, just leave him to die?"

"I could have killed him first. Then what?"

"So am I supposed to wait here? There must be something you could want?" I attempted which seemed to make the creature laugh as it turned back to me and walked up to the bars.

"What I want?" It growled, "I want to be left alone!"

"Then why not just let me go?!" I shouted back trying to keep the fear and pain from my face. But my question had seemed to spark some thought in its mind as it blinked, looking at me curiously.

"You do not fear me…" it stated frankly, which was a bit of a lie but I raised my chin anyway. The sharp-toothed smile sent a shiver down my spine and the sudden snap of the unlocking door made me jump. "You wish for freedom? Then I will give it to you." I could see the gears turning in the monster's head as it stepped away form the open door to allow me to exit. Hesitating, I looked towards where my father had been dragged to, licking my lips in thought.

"That's it? You simply let me go?"

"From there…yes," the monster remarked and I frowned, seeing the catch as the beast moved towards the stairs. My own curiosity forced me to follow as we appeared in the main part of the castle and this time I saw it different than when I had first arrived. It seemed alive. Furniture glided around the room, brooms sweeping the floors and chairs shuffling into formations. It was unsettling but amazing all at once.

I glanced up to see the beast climbing the large main stairs, turning to look at me with an annoyed frown. Quickly I trotted after, telling myself that it was all of this shocking newness that made it hard for me to turn away. The beast turned towards one end of the split stairway, "You will stay in the east wing."

"And do what?" I snapped, again ashamed at my uncontrollable mouth.

"Whatever pleases you," the beast growled, "but the west wing is off limits. You get only this warning," it stepped closer to me, "if I see you there, do not think I won't hesitate to keep to my initial promise." I frowned, forcing the nervous churning in my stomach down as I watched the beast turn away from me in a whoosh of fur.

"So that is it, then? I am just some…ornament of yours? What is it I even call you?"

"For someone who has been given the chance to live, you are far from gracious. Are you anything but stubborn?" The monster growled, approaching me again. "I have no care for what you call me as I have no care for what to call you."

There was a pause as my frown faltered, seeing a strange sense of humanity in the bright blue eyes. The monster seemed to see something of the same, huffing and turning back towards its side of the staircase. "Belle," I breathed, stopping the beast in its tracks yet again, "you may call me Belle." The beast glanced at me from the corner of my eye and again the humanity of it hit me full force in the chest.

"Belle," it breathed before giving another huff and continuing the rest of the way up the stairs, leaving me by my lonesome – despite the living furniture rushing past me.


	4. Chapter 4: Belle

I watched the monster disappear behind a set of heavy doors, the click seeming to start up the ache in my shoulder. Wincing, I hesitantly looked down at it, my stomach knotting at the shredded skin and combination of wet and dry blood.

"M'lady," peeped a small voice, startling as I turned around to find the source. "M'lady, follow me and we will get that cleaned up for you." Again I looked, finding nothing but a curiously placed clock on the corner pedestal of the staircase railing. Squinting at it I suddenly watch the face come to life and I jumped, stepping back and reaching for the nearest and most threatening object I could find; a candle.

Sure, the moving furniture had been odd, but they were just moving, not _talking_. "Wh-what did you just say?" I stuttered as the clock seemed to roll its eyes.

"Ma cheri, you musn't fear. We mean nothing but peace." I yelped at the talking candlestick and dropped it, watching as the object grunted before righting itself and joining the clock on the pedestal.

"Get back!" I warned, looking towards where the beast had left and wondering if I made enough noise if it would come to my aid.

"Why don't we begin form the beginning, then?" The clock offered as I turned back to them, raising a curious brow as the clock bowed. "You may call me Cogsworth and this is Lumiere," he gestured to the candle as the object reached out and took my hand. Daintily it kissed my knuckles and if it had not been a candle I might have blushed.

"Belle," I responded as the pair gave another low bow before the clock began to climb up the railing, gesturing towards me to follow. All of this was so odd…to the point that I felt if they broke suddenly into song it would all seem normal.

The pair led me down the halls, discussing interesting features of the castle but I found myself uninterested. Mostly because I wished to know what was behind so many closed doors and my thoughts kept turning back to the beast. "So…do you serve the beast that lives here?" I asked in the middle of one of Cogsworth's monologues. The object seemed annoyed but stopped and sighed, bowing his head.

"Yes, she is the Mistress of this castle-"

"Then why do you keep it in such a state? I mean, for objects that don't seem to need food or sleep…it's quite dirty," I poked at some dust on a nearby statue, as Cogsworth seemed to scowl, grumbling under his breath as Lumiere simply chuckled.

"You see, mademoiselle, Your Highness does not wish for us to keep the castle up to its full potential. If we do she tends to tear it out. But there are a few that we keep as they once were." At that the pair continued, despite Cogsworth much more sour mood. Currently I wished nothing more than to sit down. My travels here over the past day had been less than relaxing and the current events weren't making it any easier. Curiously I touched my shoulder, biting back a whimper at the tender ache of the pink skin as Cogsworth pushed open a nearby door.

"This will be where you will be staying," I stepped around him, pulling in a sharp breath at the expansiveness of the room. It was just about as large as my cottage back in town and yet was a single room. In the front was a large bed with a canopy draped around it, a wardrobe and bath in one corner, as well as a chair, burning fire, and small bookshelf in another. All I could think of was how much it seemed like paradise. If only it wasn't being used as my prison…

But, just like the rest of the castle, the furniture was quick to come to life. The wardrobe opened its eyes to smile as me and gush about finally having someone to dress again. Lumiere had me quickly seated into one of the chairs as a coat hanger slid over with a needle and thread, tending to my back – how it held them…I do not know.

And finally it all ended with a large pot of tea as I attempted to ignore the pain on my shoulder, still attempting to comprehend everything as every object in the room seem to gossip with me. It made sense, from that I could hear, considering the fact that they never seemed to get visitors that their "Mistress" allowed to stay. Which only made me more curious as to why I had been allowed to. It couldn't all be about taking my father's place.

I chewed on my lip as I set the chatty teacup back onto the table in front of me. "So what is…her – " it had been confirmed that they did in fact refer to the beast as a 'she' " – name?" The room went silent for what seemed like the first time in a long while, the teapot being the bravest to speak up.

"We don't quite remember…and she doesn't seem to either." I gave a slow nod. There was something uncomfortable about me referring to her as a royal figure. Nothing about her seemed particularly royal. In my mind all I saw was a monster; a beast. And that's where my mind settled, as my stiches were finished and bandaged and the room let me rest my eyes on the plush couch, I had named my captor as the Beast. For there was nothing more she could be to me.


	5. Chapter 5: Beast

I roared, throwing a small dinning chair across my room. What had come over me? What had made me decide that yes, having her stay at the castle would be a wise decision? It was something about what she had, about wondering why she was even here in the first place. My mind had jumped to the rose and its falling petals. Why was she here? Why now? Maybe it was being foolish but my gut feeling kept me from ignoring a curious idea. But it still made my fur crawl with the idea of a complete stranger waltzing around my home.

Even with her there I did not remove myself from my quarters. Still attempting to contemplate what should be done with her. But I continued to come up empty, the glowing rose staring me in the face. The witch spoke of the world seeing me for what I was…and thus I became this monster. Did that mean that I would return to my form permanently when I was seen as human? The thought was curious but interrupted by the knock on my door.

"What?" I snarled as the door slowly cracked open and my eyes fell upon Cogsworth as he nervously popped his head around. He'd been a curious man as a human but oddly loyal. It was almost sad that he had been forced into this curse with the amount of work he did for me.

"Y-Your Majesty, the young woman has been moved into her quarters," he stuttered, giving a small bow of his clock head. I turned towards the window, looking out into the grounds, fingers mindlessly scrapping at the back of my chair.

"Has she asked anything of me?" I question, glancing over my shoulder as Cogsworth looked up.

"She…she asked why you do not dress yourself," he remarked as I frowned, hand tightening on the piece of furniture. It was a foolish question, in my mind, considering how long I had been this way…but maybe there was truth to the matter. Though I could see that the man wasn't finished as he pulled in a shaky breath. "She also asked for your name," there was silence in the room as my frown deepened.

"And what did you tell her?"

"That we could not remember," he noted as I glanced towards the floor. Whether the furniture was telling the truth or not, I could never tell. But what was for certain was that the most that I knew of my name was that it began with the letter C. As for the rest of it, I simply couldn't remember.

"Very well…did she seem…comfortable?" The words were forced and uncomfortable as I winced. I never cared much towards guests that had not stayed in my own quarters. They weren't my concern if I did not have physical control over them. And yet this woman technically was my responsibility, even if she slept on the opposite side of my home.

"Yes, very comfortable. Though she seemed disappointed by the small collection of books in her room. We assured her the castle held many more and that-"

"She is not to explore the castle without my presence," I hissed, startling the small object. "Tell her that the books are enough and that I expect her for supper every evening at eight." The words tumbled out before I had much to time to think on them. But what could I do? It was simple habit to keep other people's grimy fingers off of my things. This woman…this _Belle_ was no different.

"Yes…your Majesty," Cogsworth bowed before moving back out the door. I continued to stare at the crack in it, glancing back at the rose for a moment as one of the petals seemed to droop.

In a rush of fur I left my quarters and slid across the castle, curiosity driving me to her room as giggles filled the corridor. It was a curious sound, almost foreign, but in no way unwelcome as I sunk into the shadows. I heard the woman's voice rambling over something as I neared the door, my large ears picking out that she was in fact reading a story allowed. Every so often her voice would change for each characters and every so often the room would burst into a joyous laughter.

It was enchanting and I found myself unable to leave, wishing to hear more of the story from her lively lips. I had settled myself into the crack of the doorway, resting against the wall as I watched her read. She would glance up every so often to read a specific sentence, putting in as much emotion as possible as the room leaned in for more. Everything in the castle seemed to return to how it was, the room itself looked as elegant as it once had.

I gave a small smile, feeling my chest tighten at the excited teacup and enthusiastic ottoman bouncing around the room. To think…this was what I had taken from these people. The worst part was this had been the first time I'd noticed it. All the other years I had seen myself as the victim and yet here were all of these servers, the cook, the tailor, the families, forced to give up their lives because of me.

A shaky break and a gasp pulled from my lips caught the brunette's attention as she shifted her gaze towards me. We stared at each other in surprise, Belle being the first to break it with a gentle smile and a slight bow of her head. The room turned to me and my stomach turned as they too gave a surprised look at my appearance.

As if on cue, anger boiled in my belly and I growled, bounding down the corridor, only glancing back just to catch as Belle leaned out her bedroom door. But I continued on, only stopping once on my wing of the castle. My heart was pounding in my chest, my breathing was uneven, and the fur under my eyes was damp. I reached up, running a finger along the hair before blinking and shaking my head. It was foolish to have gone over there and the woman certainly would think worse of me now. I growled again, as if to return the anger and ignore the sadness…the realization. Ignoring it would always be easier, anyway.


	6. Chapter 6: Beast

When I had made the remark about having supper with Belle I hadn't particularly thought about what that would actually mean. Especially after what had happened last night (even if it wasn't much) I found myself regretting what I had said. And normally I would simply call it off, that's how it always had been. When I had been human I did as I wished and if that mean canceling a dinner party then so be it. What could they do anyway? I was queen. But now I was having clothing pushed towards me as the wardrobe form Belle's room excitedly twittered about finally being able to dress me.

I wasn't particularly thrilled. Certainly some of the dresses would still fit me, even with the extra inch of fur, but the real issue was the bushy tail that stuck out from my rear end. The tailor seemed less than pleased as well as she muttered about finding the right sort of bustle. Eventually he seemed to give into a sort of self-conflict as she pulled a violet vest from one of her drawers. She frowned at it but held it towards me and I slipped it on.

It fit well, tapered around my waist and hugged my bust comfortably. Next came a pair of black trousers, the back of them split and it was my turn to frown at the sight. To think that this would be necessary…I could only hope that the tailor would be able to fix these. It wasn't like I had the ability to purchase more.

Slipping into them I glanced at the full-sized mirror in my room, the glass shattered from one of my many outbursts. I tilted my head curiously, looking at the scattered reflections of my face and figure and for once seeing myself; my human self. It brought a small smile back to my face, only for it to be dashed away by the flick of my unruly tail.

Even after all of this I stood alone, staring at the rose as my fingers brushed against the cool glass. This was foolish. I should simply let the woman go so that she may tell more legends of the beast in the castle. And yet I found myself not wishing for her to leave. There had to be a reason as to why she was here, it had to be another one of the witch's plans, or something of the sort.

I glanced out my balcony at the moon, my stomach turning as I noticed it's form. The months were passing quickly and soon enough the day would arrive again. It was horrible what the witch had done to me, maybe believing it would help convince me to change my ways quicker but the shift back to my human form only made things worse. It made me realize that I didn't deserve to be what I was, that I was in fact a beast.

A knock came from my door and I turned, watching as Cogsworth hesitantly peer around the edge of the door. "Your Majesty, dinner is served." The reminder made me pause before I gave a slow nod, stepping from my haven to have my first meal with another human in decades.


	7. Chapter 7: Belle

The dress that had been chosen for me was quite tasteful. I wasn't much of a girl that enjoyed the frills of fashion but I couldn't ignore how the lavender silk hung on my hips or how the darker velvet corset wrapped comfortably around my waist. The question as to why the Beast had so many of these kinds of clothes had filtered through my thoughts, but I never found myself able to say them.

My hair was left down, the pesky bangs in the front puled back by a silk bow that matched the color of the dress. My shoulders and collar were left exposed, exhibiting the white bandages that had been wrapped around my injured shoulder. The overall wound seemed to be healing surprisingly well considering my current situation. But I suppose I wasn't getting too short of a stick in all of this. After all, the room was extravagant, the clothing beautiful, and the food that I'd had was delicious. It was just the fact that I was being _forced_ to remain here that wasn't sitting well with me.

Lumiere led me through the castle to the dinning hall, stopping at the open door to let me enter alone. Admittedly I was nervous, considering how our last meeting alone went. But she seemed to want to be civil (at least that's what I hoped the dinner was for).

The Beast was standing behind her seat when I walked in, looking over me heavily. I wrinkled my nose, bowing my head but letting my eyes swoop up to notice the small amount of clothing on her figure. It was a certain improvement and made me less nervous that I would see anything inappropriate when she was walking.

"You're late," she hissed and I frowned, my head rising again as I settled into my chair, a pair of tall candle sticks pushing it in for me.

"My apologies," I grumbled, watching as plates and serving trays whizzed around, serving the Beast and me food. I was hesitant towards eating it, but eventually my stomach started to beg for the sustenance as silence settled in the room between us.

Only it was suddenly filled with an obnoxious slurping sound. I've never been one for enforcing strict manners, but as I looked across the table with Beast standing on her chair and scarfing down her soup like an animal…I couldn't help myself. "I suppose a pair of trousers can't take away the animal," I remarked as I gave a dainty sip from my soup-filled spoon.

It had been quiet, but enough to catch Beast's attention as she stopped, and looked up with a growl. "Tis what happens when the world refuses to see you as anything else." I couldn't help but chuckle as I rested my spoon back onto the table.

"I believe this is your own doing, if I've hear correctly," the comment had been enough for Beast to snap out of her chair, leaning on the table towards me.

"I was _forced_ to become this," without thinking I stood and challenged her glare with my own.

"I do not believe one simply wakes up a beast. Tis an act that takes time," at that I moved, pushing my chair back as I moved towards the large doors. In a rush of anger the Beast suddenly had my back pinned to the wall, huffing down at me with her snarling teeth.

"I would convict people of treason for what you have said," but I simply smirked, reaching up and tapping the tip of her nose.

"Then you have simply proved my point. Might I go? I'm no longer hungry."

"No!" The Beast snapped, slamming her fist against the wall as I jumped. "You ask to trade your life for your father's and yet are nothing more than a stubborn pest." I frowned, waiting to see what the Beast was getting at. "I glad I left him out in the cold. I'm sure he didn't even make the night," she breathed in my face and I found it impossible to keep my composure as tears rushed to my eyes, glazing over the blue irises. Roughing I pushed her back, turning away and rushing through the door as the tears found their way down my cheeks.

I couldn't care if she was serious or not. The fact was, was that I didn't know if my father was still alive. She could have killed him for all I knew and was just pretending to hold me here in an attempt to get _something_. But that _something_ only made a nervous shiver run down my spine as I collapsed onto my bed in violent sobs.

"Ma cheri," Lumiere purred next to me as I attempted to calm down my shaky breathing. "Tis nothing to fear. She speaks of such things but means nothing about it."

"Yes," Mrs. Pots continued, pouring a cup of hot tea into Chip the teacup for me. "It has just been far too many years since the woman has seen any form of kindness. She only knows anger."

"Are…are you telling me to be kind to a _thing_ such as her?" I breathed, looking towards the teacup but ignoring it.

"We are telling you that if she was to see that you are willing to forgive and forget for the sake of some sort of…truce." I could tell that the word 'truce' was a mask for another mean, but I couldn't exactly discover what. Instead I looked down at my hands, biting my lip in thoughts before giving a slow nod.

"Only if she is willing to try as well."

"That…that will certainly be a challenge," Mrs. Pots remarked as we all gave a weak chuckle.


	8. Chapter 8: Belle

I was lead down the hallway, my attention every so often pulled by something interesting in the corner of my eye. In all honesty I didn't think the structure was so massive, but it seemed that with every turn that came, another hallway appeared. For a few moments I was concerned the candle and teapot were leading me back to the dungeons, but kept telling myself they simply wouldn't do that. Even in this short period of time I'd started to believe these curious characters were my friends, seeking refuge in someone other than the Beast such as I.

At one point we came around a corner and I heard talking, immediately the pair seemed to pick up their hopping down the hall as I followed. But at the cracked door I halted, glancing in to find the beast and Cogsworth. It seemed to be some sort of study, half destroyed bookshelves against the walls, a dusty desk in the center. Beast was in the far corner looking out the window as Cogsworth spoke to her.

"You must'n be so cross with her, your majesty. She is just a scared girl," he explained and I found an annoyed frown pulling on my face.

"A scared _girl_," Beast hissed, turning from the window as the clock shied away. "She is far from that. That…that _Belle_ is nothing but a stubborn brat. She's not even made an attempt for escape. I'm sure she has more than just her father waiting for her at her little village. And yet she remains just to pester me with her words."

"M-maybe she wishes to help, Your Majesty. Your anniversary is in a few months…and then…"

"I know when it is!" Beast hissed, even startling me as I leaned back, just as Lumiere tapped me on the ankle, waving me to follow. I glanced back, seeing Beast with her face in her hands before rolling my lips and following.

"What anniversary?" I breathed when I believed we were far enough away. The pair hesitated, looking at one another as I raised a suspicious brow.

"Nothing more than a day of remembrance," Mrs. Pots stated and even if the answer wasn't satisfactory in my opinion, I let it go.

We appeared by another door moments later and the pair opened it to show me the kitchen, clean and bustling with movement. I was sat in a chair at a small table and in minutes was filled to the brim with delicious meats and desserts to the point of having to beg for them to stop. But the chaos continued and eventually I snuck form the kitchen without any the wiser.

The issue with this, of course, was then finding my way back to my room. At least that was my end goal – if I went on a bit of a detour of the castle I wouldn't complain. I wanted to see what the castle had to hold behind its walls. Unfortunately…I seemed to have gotten turned around during my initial trip to the kitchen and found myself in a completely darkened hallway.

My fingers brushed against the dust-covered walls to guide myself as I looked at the shredded paintings on the walls. One of them drew particular interest, the face completely gone but the hint of a crown resided at the top. This must've been her, at some point in time.

Suddenly a voice echoed through the halls and I jumped, picking up my pace and finding the nearest door to enter. The moment I did, though, my gaze was transfixed on a curious object in the center of the abandoned-looking bedroom.

A rose, contained in glass, glowed a faint pink by the balcony. I ignored the door that I left open and moved curiously towards the flower. My hands delicately pulled at the glass cover, moving it to the side so that I might see the floating rose without a barrier. It hypnotized me as I reached up to touch one of it's soft petals-

"What are you doing?!" Came a loud roar from the other end of the room and I turned, my trance broken as my eyes fell on the beast. My heart pounded in my chest as she flung a coffee table across the room. I moved away from the rose, my back against the wall as she approached me, "I told you not to come here!" She continued, ripping her reading chair form its place as it crashed against the wall. "Answer me!" She hissed again as she grabbed the glass and covered the rose again, snarling.

"I just got lost!" I snapped but my voice was shaky as she slid up towards me and for once fear settled into my entire being as tear welled in my eyes.

"You were going to take it! Weren't you? I knew keeping you alive would have been nothing but trouble!" She raised a clawed hand and I gasped, shying away.

"Please no, Beast…I'm sorry," my voice quieted as I prepared for the blow, but it never came. And when I looked up I swore I saw sadness in her eyes. The intimidating gold around the pupil had disappeared as the eyes widen into a more human shape. Moonlight gave them a small twinkle and again curious trance took over me as I reached for her jaw. In a second the hand came down to grab my wrist, the animalistic look returning with a simple growl.

"You're a thief," she huffed as I felt my fear turn into anger. I yanked my hand back, hating myself for the small bit of sympathy I had given her.

"I hope you rot in here," I breathed, not giving the beast time to stop my hand from slapping across her face before I bolted from the room. And in no time at all I was down the main castle stairs and out the front door.


	9. Chapter 9: Beast

I could do nothing more than snarl as I heard the large front door slam closed. Stepping from my trashed bedroom I looked out over the balcony, watching in annoying as I saw her small body trot into the dense woods. She was a fool, doing what she did and deserved what hid in the shadows of the forest.

At least…that's what I attempted to tell myself.

In reality I couldn't help but hope she would turn back, decide it was too dangerous to escape at night. I wanted to hear that I was right, from her, but also wanted her to be safe. Then again I hadn't exactly radiated safety considering her injured shoulder. I snarled at my thoughts, turning from the balcony with a dramatic swish of my tail only for my eyes to rest on a trembling Cogsworth. My brow arched as he attempted to speak.

"Y-Your Majesty, d-d-d-do you not think it da-dangerous to let her l-l-l-leave in such a st-state?" I took a step forward, causing him immediately to jump back as more curious furniture crowded around the crack from my opened door. Swiftly I grabbed him from the floor, feeling the odd sensation of wood tensing in my palm.

"She made her choice," I growled as Cogsworth leaned away from me.

"B-but Your Majesty…you don't have m-much time," I smirked, seeing the minor pun considering him being a clock before my face hardened again. He was right, in a way. My time was coming to an end. I could sense it from the glowing rose. My mouth opened to respond only for a loud screech to sound from outside.

At that point a rather curious feeling surged through my body. Fear settled into my chest, worry gnawing at my stomach, the anger was gone as my person settled into a sort of trance. "Belle," I breathed, dropped Cogsworth and barreled out of my room, stumbling over a few furniture pieces in the process. My hands dug into the floor to propel my body forward as I slammed against the door, throwing myself outside. Sticking my muzzle in the air, I breathed in the scents before resting on a familiar flowery smell. Another shriek sent a shiver down my spine as I continued onward.

In minutes I could see Belle, stumbling through the woods as two hungry wolves closed in on her. And just as she tripped over a root, landing heavily on her hands and knees, I sprung into action.

I snapped at one of the wolves' necks as I slammed into them, pulling at it as the creature yelped. The other wasn't too far behind, lashing out at my arm as its teeth dug into my skin. I howled, shaking it as it's fangs ripped my flesh before its body smacked into a tree and it let go. The one I had attacked stood and pounced at my back, claws sinking into my back as I attempted to shake it off, kicking a foot out just in time to stop the other from attacking.

The wolf was tossed to the side with a yelp as I panted, lowering myself and giving a warning growl, as the pair seemed to prepare for another attack. One took a step forward and my growl turning into a large roar, the noise enough to scare the pair off. The victory was bittersweet, though, as the pain in my body set in, but that didn't matter right now. I turned to the woman behind me as a startled look settled on her beautiful features. "Are…are you alright?" I panted, reaching out with my good hand for her to take. Hesitantly she took it and let me pull her up as she glanced towards my other arm.

"I am fine, but you're injured," she remarked, looking up at me and for a moment I found myself transfixed. The concern in her features was one I hadn't seen in many years. It forced me to hide the approaching smile as I shook my head.

"It's nothing, come, at least wait till the morning before…leaving." We were both seemingly surprised at what I said but I chose not to add to it nor Belle, as we made the hike back to the castle.

Carefully I pulled the door open for her, my injured arm across my stomach for comfort, but she didn't enter. She looked at me and frowned, "I…I'm sorry for what I did, Beast. Thank you for saving me." The words made my stomach swirl as my head bowed gracefully, gesturing to the open doorway as she nodded and entered.

"I am sorry I lost my temper," I noted after her, "tis…something that happens often." I glanced at her wrapped shoulder as the woman's head turned to the side, a small smile on her lips. It was a graceful smile that I found myself returning. To think this curious and stubborn woman could bring out a side of me I hadn't seen for so long. Maybe…maybe she was worth keeping around.

I followed her towards the stairs as she stopped to wait for me, glancing towards my injured arm again. "We should get that cleaned," she remarked, not waiting for any response from me as she marched up the stairs – admittedly I couldn't help my eyes from wandering south (it had been a while since I'd seen a woman such as her). But then she stopped again, turning back to face me, "We all have our demons, Beast. It's what makes us human."


	10. Chapter 10: Beast

The words settled into my gut like a stone, quickly taking on the form of butterflies as I glanced at her gentle smile. This time Belle was the one to hold out her hand as I climbed the stairs taking it, only to wince as my wrist screamed in pain. Belle frowned looking at it and mumbling something about needing to clean it and bandage it. A part of me wished to grumble and tell her my servants would do it – I could even see the medical box hiding behind a stone pillar – but instead I simply nodded and followed her to her room.

It was oddly warmer than I remembered it to be. Then again I hadn't been to this side of the castle in years. She seemed to keep it tidy as well as toasty, the fire crackling and spreading a glow about the room. Books were stacked along the coffee table, making her singular bookshelf look empty and abandoned. I smirked, looking at them as Belle moved across the room in search of a bowl of water and a rag before commanding me to sit in the reading chair beside the fire.

Again I obliged without any rebellion, my anger buried as my curiosity poured out, watching as she carefully set things around her. Gently she reached for my arm as I winced, her smile allowing me to relax some. "Now this will sting some," she breathed as she dabbed the rag into the bow and then pressed it against my wound. I hissed, yanking my arm back and holding it against my body.

"That burns!" I snapped as Belle scowled, pursing her lips as I found myself wishing they were that way for a different reason.

"Well I have to clean it! Stop being such a spoiled child!"

"Me? A spoiled child?" I growled, waiting for her to back down as all of my servants had in the past. But she remained; back straight, hands on hips, as we seemed to battle between who was the most stubborn.

"Yes, you scowl and grumble whenever you don't get your way and when you do you only wish for more!" I growled, my face moving towards hers but she only shifted closer, daring me to act. But instead I grumbled and sat back, holding my arm out for her again as she nodded and continued to clean it. Again I winced but kept myself still as I looked towards the books on the table.

An uncomfortable silence settled between us – at least that's how I felt; she seemed very focused on my wounds as she asked for some bandages. I chewed on my lip before clearing my throat as if it would start some sort of conversation. All it did, though, was draw her attention to my uneasiness, which she seemed to smirk at. I frowned, snapping my head away and back to her selection of books with a frustrated huff.

"So…are these the books you wish to read?" Belle looked up and then back to my arm as she began to wrap the white cloth around it.

"Those are the ones that I have finished," she stated it so matter-of-factly I found myself stunned. "I'm sure I'll read them all again by the end of the week," again her response was casual as I turned to look at her. A small piece of hair had fallen from behind her ear, brushing against her temple. I reached over to fix it but she had already raised her hand. Our finger collided and the pair of us paused as I watched a fain blush burn against her cheeks, my own heat starting in my face. Belle's eyes remained focused on my arm as I dropped my hand, allowing her to fix the pesky strand as silence settled between us once more.

But, oddly enough, it was a more comfortable silence in which I was entertained by my curiosity, looking over her frame and her careful work. And when she finished I couldn't help but give a small smile at her proud face. "Tell me if it is too tight," she asked as I flexed my hand, testing the bandage before shaking my head.

"Feels perfect," she sat up and I found my eyes falling on her shoulder. "What about you?" I gestured to it and she reached up as if to hide it, giving a weak smile.

"It's fine, somewhat stiff but it didn't do much damage." Silence again.

"I-"

"Th-" we stumbled over one another, giving nervous smiles before she shook her head and gestured to me.

"I'm sorry for what I did and how I acted," I breathed, the words seemingly shocking her as she looked towards her lap, shaking her head. She had an odd way of showing emotion. Some times it seemed almost impossible for her to hide how she was feeling and others she just looked so…unreadable. They were times where I wasn't sure if I was to be sorry or sad.

Her eyes turned back up, a slightly glassy shine to them as her teeth pulled on her lower lip, breaking into a smile. "Nothing to worry of, it's in the past. And you've now saved my life, so…consider us _equal_."

Equal. A word I hadn't heard referred to me in a long time.

COMMENTS: Hey, just wanted to say sorry about making the "daily" updates more into "weekly" ones. Schools been a bit crazy and I've been spending my free time asleep. Don't take this as me not being interested in this anymore. Do not fear. I still have plenty of ideas tumbling around in my head. As for those of you that want something a little...under the covers, do not fear, it isn't far off.


	11. Chapter 11: Belle

I was a little curious after that. Something about the beast had changed…or maybe it had been there all along. I was never sure, but I wasn't against what she had become. After a week or so, our dinner had become far more civilized. The majority of the time we remained silent, but every so often one of us would make a comment – normally about the food – and the tension would ease slightly.

My favorite time was the evenings, though. After supper I would return to my room, normally to finish the night with a book. Most evenings the room would be filled with a handful of furniture waiting for me to read to them. On these nights I would glance from the corner of my eye to see Beast listening by the door. The sight would bring a coy smile to my lips as I forced my attention to return to my reading. I wasn't sure why. I had never been known for a nervous and fragile woman in the face of such emotions. And yet here I was, my stomach fluttering almost painfully to the thoughts. Either way it made me long for the nights that I found myself alone, for they never ended that way.

A knock tapped against my door as I turned, smiling at the hesitant woman in the archway. "Come in," I cooed, gesturing to the empty reading chair across from me. Beast, as if on cue, would seem to regret her decision only to mingle across the room and settle into the seat. Next she would look at me as I glanced up to catch her snapping her attention back to the books on the table, again I smiled, turning my eyes back to the words on the page. Beast would clear her throat, grab and book and settle back into the chair.

Again I would find my attention turning to her, unable to focus as she tossed in the small sitting area. Most times I would find her sideways in the seat, back against one armrest and legs draped over the other – as if a different sitting position would make the book a better read.

Her big and bushy tail swept along the floor lazily as I gave a small giggle, pulling her attention from the book. A hint of heat rushed across my cheeks and I cleared my throat nervously, raising my chin to hide the slight rosy tone to my cheeks. "What is it?" She commanded, though it was a tone I'd grown accustomed to. Quickly I shook my head, resting my finger on my place as I closed my book over it.

"You just seem to have a difficult time enjoying the book you chose. You do not have to read it." There was a pause and for a moment I thought I had upset her (which wouldn't have surprised me). But suddenly Beat turned her attention to my book.

"Well what is your book about?" I blinked, looking down and then back at her. She didn't know? These were her own books and she couldn't tell? But then I had to remind myself there were plenty of people that kept books as "decoration" rather than actual use. Beast seemed to be one of them.

"Would you like me to read it to you?" I hadn't been entirely serious at the question but Beast's face was quick o light up as the response. And so soon enough that because my evenings. Admittedly…I enjoyed it greatly. Maybe because it was a time in which I saw a much more child-like side of Beast. If the stories the furniture had told me about the woman, it didn't sound like Beast had had much time to be a child. From the bits and pieces I had pushed on them, apparently she was still a child when she rose to the title of Queen.

Her whole back-story had become my addiction and her child-like nature every evening was just the hit I craved. And the fact that she returned every evening seemed to linger on the fact that she felt the same.

This idea brought butterflies into my stomach as I opened my eyes more to my true captor. She was lonely and angry and I found myself doing whatever I could to help ease the anger by the stories I read. Though even those didn't seem to be enough to satisfy her curiosity.

One evening we had just finished a wondrous adventure story and the couple in it had lived happily ever after – as most do – and while I had thought that was the end of our time…Beast didn't. "You must have someone looking for you." The remark surprised me as I took a sip of teat that had been brought to us.

"Of course, I'm sure my father is looking for me," but Beast shook her head as she sat up in her seat.

"I mean other than your father. You are the age to marry, are you not?" Again I found myself startled at the bluntness of her question before turning my head away.

"It is…complicated," I muttered under my breath. "Certain things don't always work out like in fairytales," I smiled, forcing some sort of happiness to my face. But as I looked at Beast all I saw was curiosity, her head tilted gently to the side as she squinted at me, almost to read my own thoughts.

"Why?"


	12. Chapter 12: Belle

The question somewhat startled me, not that it upset me, simply that it was unexpected considering my current audience. I frowned, looking towards my book as I let my finger slide from its place, I'd find it tomorrow. "It was…complicated," the word didn't particularly fit the situation, but it was the best that I could come up with. It was the least painful. And yet that didn't seem to satisfy her – though, a response like that wouldn't have satisfied me either.

"How so? I'm sure your village is not scarce of spouses," the word sent a shiver down my spine as I looked towards her. Maybe that was how she was raised; become Queen, find a spouse, bare children, and die. But that had never been able to sit well with me as I shook my head gently.

"That is not the issue…" I paused again, looking up as I watched Beast open her mouth to ask another question; this time I beat her to the answer. "I…I have been proposed to before, several times. A young man in my village, Gaston, seemed to find a particular interest in me." I continued from there to explain the man's "personality" – the word was a bit too kind to what he possessed. The majority of the time the man stood there flexing his muscles and thrusting his hips in my general direction. Whenever I tried to bury my nose deeper into a book in hopes of hiding, her would be standing there, tight pants and all.

Gaston was a hansom man in certain ways. His smile was charming and his hair was lush, but there were certain disconnects for me. His lack of intelligence was one and his immense disregard to my own independence. He would harp on the uselessness of my books on how I should be like the other women, prim, proper, and bored to tears. As if the only sort of entertainment I was to find would be swooning over him as my husband.

All of it rotted me to my core and when he asked me to marry him the first time I had to admit I was shocked, figuring I had made my disgust quite obvious. But that didn't seem to be the case. So I rejected him, only for Gaston to make a remark about how all women played hard to get…and thus he continued. It almost seemed daily that he would appear on my door step to give his heart out to me and every day I would thank him for his flattery before hiding away in my home.

Eventually, though, it all became too much for me and one day he pushed me to my limit. "Come now, Belle. How many more times must I ask you before you agree?" He hummed, resting against the doorframe just enough to block me from getting to my door handle.

"Gaston, I must admit that your charm has run its course. I appreciated the flattery before but you now must understand that I am not interested," I reached for the handle but he shifted his hips to obscure it more as he laughed.

"Not interested? That's hardly possible. Every woman in this town wishes for me to be hers…and you just happen to be the one not interested?"

"I assure you it's nothing personal," I pushed forward and grabbed for the door with a hard look on my face. "I'm not interested in any of the men in this village." The remark wasn't meant as anything more than a general statement, but Gaston was quick to take it in a different form. He frowned and I felt my stomach turn as he began to pluck at my words, scoffing and chuckling, as his mind seemed to wrap around a dastardly plan. And it was a plan that didn't take long to set in place.

"My family had never had the best of reputations," I explained to Beast, sipping at my tea as I spoke. "My father is an inventor, quite a fantastic one, but a little too forward for the times. Therefore a lot of people saw him as somewhat…crazy."

"What about your mother?" Beast asked, sitting up in her seat, as I got farther along in my own personal story.

"She died giving birth to me. Nothing I've particularly felt sad for. Certainly there were times I wondered what she would have been like, but my father does speak much of her and I've learned not to ask." I was casual about the topic for the simple reason that I never knew her. She was just a woman, apparently similar in appearance to myself, which my father had loved deeply. But that was all I really knew and cared to know.

"But," I huffed, "that small quarrel caused for quite the ruckus and spreading of rumors. It hardly took two days before the news of my 'coming out' reached all of the villagers' ears. I was horrified at first…but…found myself enjoying the peace it gave me. People would avoid me and it gave me more time to my reading." Part of that was a lie, especially with Gaston and his interchanging women. They would take any opportunity they could to upset me. But if anything good came out of this prison, it was that I no longer had to settle for that.

"Thus…complicated," I ended with a weak smile, finishing off my coffee as I gave a small yawn. Beast seemed to give a sympathetic smile as she stood form her seat.

"I do hope you find better than what you were given," she remarked, surprising me some as I watched her seemingly contemplate adding something. But instead she gave her goodbyes and headed out the door, leaving me to my room.

Most nights, when Beast left, I found myself slightly relieved and exhausted from having to keep company for so long. But after bringing up the memories I realized I wished she hadn't left, mostly because I hadn't come to the official ending of my story. The fact was…Gaston had assumed correctly.


	13. Chapter 13: Beast

There was something about those nights that brought sense of joy to me from simply being read to. Last night, especially, I found myself attracted to Belle. Not only because of her beauty but also her life. It was so delightfully normal. Mine had always been more than I wished for. My parents had died when I was young, too young to be leading a kingdom. It had crushed my childhood and led me to become this _thing_. And yet through all of Belle's hardships she seemed to have become nothing more then determined and kind.

So I found myself wanting to help.

I arrived at her room one morning, knocking on the door, as I was casually welcomed in. I'd chosen some black trousers with a dark purples and velvet jacket and had to admit that I hoped Belle approved. But when I entered I realized she hadn't expected me to be the visitor. Belle was standing in front of a mirror, half naked as a shirt was fitted around her waist and a smaller damage was applied to her shoulder. The moment her eyes caught my wanderings ones in her reflection she yelped and covered her bare breasts. Quickly I averted my gaze as I turned my back to her.

"I'm sorry, I...I didn't know…" I trailed off as I grabbed at my nervously twitching tail, trying to ignore the heat in my body.

"No, it was my fault," explained as I nodded, stepping across the room to entertain myself as she finished dressing.

"I-I wish to show you something, once dressed," I muttered over my shoulder before hearing a nervous laugh. My curious eyes shifted up just as a dress was dropped over her slim and curvy body.

"To think you are more dressed than I am for once," the pair of us gave an embarrassed laugh and a nod of our heads at the realization. "All right," she replied, stepping across the room, "what was it you wished to show me?"

I smiled, standing straighter and glancing at her attire. The dress was a sky blue, making her eyes pop beautifully. A white bow was tied gently around her waist to accentuate her shape and her feet were covered in what looked like well-loved brown boots – the length of the dress covered how high they went on her legs. But before my eyes lingered for too long and shifted them back to her face and gave a small shake of my head. "It's a surprise," I finally answered before causally taking her hand and leading her from her room and into the halls of the castle.

The short trip was filled with Belle's nervous giggles, question, and the every so often blush. And I found myself drawn to her more. I wished to see her cheeks turn that precious scarlet at my responses or whenever our passing hands touched. I longed for the small giggle whenever I would remark about her appearance or her voice during our evenings. It was something I hadn't felt in a long while, if at all. And it was something that made me realize Belle had a curious…specialness to her.

But eventually our trip came to an end as we stop in front of a pair of closed doors and I couldn't help the excited look on my face; she was going to love this, I just knew it. "Close your eyes," I told her gently as she gave a small pout before doing as told. Quickly I pushed the doors open, exposing the massive library of the castle.

At one point in time the place had been immaculate, clean, sparkling, and busy. Not that I had ever used it. The library had always been a place that I had passed during my days, looking in it and thinking that it would be fun to spend an evening there. But that never seemed to happen. Now, though, it was finally going to be used and enjoyed by someone, hopefully.

"Keep them closed," I breathed, taking both her hands and pulling her into the middle of the room as Belle squeezed her eyes tighter. "And don't peak!" I giggled, dropping her hands to move through the room towards a large pair of curtains. With a heavy tug they pulled away from the window, filling the dusty room with light and exposing the numerous rows of bookshelves filled to the brim with anything someone could possibly want. But I found my eyes somewhat distracted at the view outside as I looked upon my grounds.

It was nearing winter, the evenings turning freezing and normally that made the foliage look even more dead, but strangely it all seemed to be doing the opposite. Grass had turned green and trees seemed to be budding leaves as if it was the beginning of spring. I couldn't explain it.

"Can I look now?" Belle's voice brought me back as I quickly stepped back to her, stepping behind her as my lips rested by her ear.

"All right, open your eyes."

COMMENTS: oof, that took much longer than I wanted that to take. Very sorry, I've gotten to the point of writing these in my notebooks during class but it's the task of getting it from there and onto here that's seeming to be a problem


	14. Chapter 14: Belle

As my eyes fluttered open I pulled in a gasp of air, my hand reaching instinctively back for Beast's, as if to help me keep my footing.

The whole morning I'd woken with this odd feeling in my chest, this odd belief that there was going to be something different today. Maybe that's what had affected my mood all day, my curious desire to step out of my comfort zone in terms of my dress, my carefree attitude towards the knock on my door. Oh goodness…the realization of what I had so casually exhibited to Beast had made my body shudder and embarrassingly made my loins ache. But now I had forgotten about all of that.

"What do you think?" She breathed as my grip tightened on her hand, biting the smile on my lips as my eyes scoured the old shelves, stocked to the brim with books of all kinds. I took a deep breath, feeling the knowledge radiating from their leather bindings.

Stepping away from her, I looked around in a circle before stopping to look upon the creature. And I simply couldn't help myself. The hopeful look in her eyes as well as the worry of being denied a satisfying response made my stomach spin. I rushed towards her, arms flying around her neck as I buried my face into her warm fur. Beast tensed but slowly let her arms slid around my waist and I found myself never wishing to leave, enjoying the soft comfort of her around me. In an odd way it reminded me of my father, of how protective his hugs had been when I was half my size. I could sense the same sort of care from her, but chose not to mention it as I finally gave her a quick nod.

"It's beautiful," I breathed, turning from her and reluctantly moving from the warmth of her person. "I don't think I've seen so many in one place at a time," I remarked, moving to the closest row and grabbing at a random book. I flipped it open to expose the old pages as my eyes took in the material. It wasn't a novel, more of research notes but it didn't discourage me any.

"I'm happy to hear that," she remarked, resting her elbow on a waist-high counter, looking about the room as if to avoid eye contact. "I can have some of my servants tend to the room so that you don't have to sit in a pile of dust." But I had to admit I wasn't really paying attention as I had found another row of storybooks and another of cooking recipes, my mind reeling as I felt each of the books' pages.

That was where I found myself after that. I would wake up in the mornings and trot down to the library, grab a stack of new books, and settle in a large reading chair that I had called my own. I would read till the sun had set and Beast's yawning alerted me that it was time to go to bed. And even during the times that the woman wasn't there I could sense her every so often poking her head through the open doors, glancing in on my current state, before disappearing again. It comforted me.

"Do you have many rooms like this one?" I asked one evening, returning finished books to their appropriate places in the shelves as Beast followed after me. "In terms of rooms that you closed off. I'm sure with the same amount of effort that you'd put into the library, the castle could return to its previous state." There was silence and I found myself glancing over my shoulder to look at the woman. Her eyes were towards the ground, fingers resting on her neck and for the first time I noticed the oddly shaped scar. "Beast?"

"What?" She snapped her head up and dropped her hand, "Oh…um…yes, I suppose that's true. I can't think of any that need to be at the current time." She responded with a weak smile as I gave a small frown, stepping from my place and moving towards her. Beast leaned away, unsure what was happening as I reached up to brush my hand against the scar. Her eyes closed, as if to hide the shame of what I'd found, but she didn't withdraw any further.

"What happened here?" Beast paused, opening her eyes as she looked down at me, reaching up to brush her hand against mine, a shiver rolling through my body.

"It's a reminder," she stated softly as my face grew curious, making her smile. "Maybe…maybe I should tell the story tonight?" She breathed as I found my cheeks blushing, my head nodding slowly as we returned to the large chair.

I curled into the chair as Beast sat next to me, the hint of space between us making me wish she'd shifted closer. But as she began, telling the story of her life I found myself immersed in it. My body slowly relaxed, our legs threading together as she shifted closer to the middle of the chair, hand resting casually on my thigh as my fingers brushed against it.


	15. Chapter 15: Belle

It was a sad story, and a story in which I found myself confused. Part of me wanted to believe that she deserved it, that she had ignored her responsibilities and become this thing from her own doing. But the other part of me wanted nothing more to than to hold her, to tell her that no one should have to sacrifice so much. In the end, though, I remained still a sad smile on my face as she ended her tale with the remark of the nearing anniversary. My smile grew wider as I tried to bite down on it and hold back the excitement from my sudden idea.

"Well we must celebrate it!" I exclaimed, startling her as I shifted onto my knees to face her. "Tis no good moping about on such a day," her head tilted to the side as if to see my face better before giving a small chuckle and a shake of her head.

"You are quite odd…but, I find I enjoy it," she admitted causing an embarrassed blush to creep across my cheeks as I stepped from the chair to begin cleaning up the last of my books for the evening.

At first I thought she was simply agreeing with my idea just to say yes, but the next morning the castle was alight with life. Brooms swept down old halls, dusters swatted at cobwebs in the corners, Lumier drifted down the corridors lighting each and every candle he could find. The wardrobe in my room was rushing between Beast and me in preparation of our outfits for the evening. All of the commotion admittedly made me nervous and wonder if this really was a bad choice. The worst of it all, was that I couldn't find the Beast in all of this mess, as if she too was too uneasy to escape her quarters.

But the inhabitants of the castle wouldn't allow us to brood and ignore the event. I suppose I could see why considering this had been the first time in years that they'd had something big to get ready for. In an odd way I almost felt like I was getting married, especially as I found myself quarantined to my room after supper, forced to reread one of the few books in my shelf as the wardrobe tried to explain how tomorrow's events were going to go. Admittedly I didn't listen, nor did I read, all that I thought of was seeing Beast again, dressed up and elegant as a Queen should be.

When the next morning finally rolled around I found myself ushered from my bed, stripped, and dunked into a bath. My skin was scrubbed raw and I swear half of my hair was combed out of my scalp. But I was clean, could even smell the scented bath water on my slightly rosy skin. A robe was tossed around my shoulders as I was seated in front of my mirror, the wardrobe ushering a coat hanger to my side as it curiously carried a pair of scissors in its…stubs. Then again, after the weeks I'd spent here, it wasn't particularly odd to see.

Weeks. The realization was astonishing to me. To think that I would even survive for this long astounded me and yet here I was, my shoulder completely healed as I was prepared for a two-person ball. And despite the nervousness in my belly it had begun to be mixed with excitement.

My hair was trimmed, combed, curled, and carefully set into a low ponytail by a silk yellow ribbon. Next was my makeup, something I normally chose to avoid, but the wardrobe had insisted as it dabbed and smeared and patted coats of things onto my face until my eyes seemed twice their size and my cheeks gave a gentle and rosy glow.

My dress was last; the massive collection of yellow fabric dropped over my head as I stepped into a pair of white shoes and slid my hands into elbow-high, silk, and yellow glows. Carefully I pulled my ponytail over my shoulder before turning to look at myself in the mirror. As gasp fell from my lips and I felt my eyes well up at the sight. My father had always told me I looked like my mother and I had seen the every so often picture in out home, but now, I could see what he meant. It was as if she was standing right across from me, smiling proudly at her little girl.

I bit at my quivering lip, looking down as a necklace of diamonds was draped around my neck, giving the perfect and final touch to the image. Turning to the wardrobe I smiled, thanking her as I hiked up the skirt, making my way towards the door to find Cogsworth and Lumier waiting patiently for me. They gasp and cooed over my appearance but in the end there was only one person whose opinion I really cared about.

And In a matter of minutes I would get it as I appeared at the top of the staircase on my side of the castle, looking down at Beast impatiently waiting at the bottom. Cogsworth cleared his throat to catch her attention and I couldn't help but blush just from simple nervousness. "You're Majesty," Lumier announced, hopping up onto the banister as he bowed and gestured to me, "we present your guest for the evening. Belle."


End file.
